2:39Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia, is seen speaking next to then-former President Donald Trump at a political rally in Rome, Georgia, on March 9, 2024.Elijah Nouvelage/AFP via Getty Images
In anticipation of this week’s House roll call on legislation designed to mandate the disclosure of all Justice Department documents pertaining to Jeffrey Epstein, President Donald Trump used his social media platform to urge Republicans to vote to approve the release, a notable departure from his prior statements.
"Republicans in the House of Representatives should vote for releasing the Epstein files, as we have nothing we are concealing," Trump posted on Truth Social Sunday night.
The president's remarks occurred after both he and House Speaker Mike Johnson had put forth considerable effort to impede the vote from taking place.
Just last week, a meeting took place at the White House in the Situation Room with Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert to try to induce her to withdraw her support from the discharge petition. That endeavor proved unsuccessful, and she was among the four Republicans who sided with Democrats for that petition to reach 218 endorsements.
Rep. Thomas Massie from Kentucky, the leading Republican co-sponsor for the bill aimed at releasing the documents, communicated to ABC News' "This Week" co-host Jonathan Karl that he anticipates a "flood" of GOP backing on the measure.
Massie presented the issue bluntly: legislators are forced to decide between shielding the president politically and honoring their constituents' wishes: how will they defend a vote against transparency?
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., speaks alongside then-former President Donald Trump at a campaign event in Rome, Georgia, on March 9, 2024.Elijah Nouvelage/AFP via Getty Images
"I would like to remind my Republican colleagues who are contemplating how to cast their vote," Massie said. "Donald Trump possesses the ability to safeguard you currently in predominantly Republican districts by offering his official support. However, in 2030, he will no longer occupy the presidential office, and you will have voted to protect child sex offenders if you choose not to vote in favor of releasing these files. And the president will be unable to protect you at that point; the record of this vote will outlive Donald Trump's time in office."
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt informed reporters last week that emails connected to the convicted sex offender Epstein, which were disclosed by House Democrats, "demonstrate absolutely nothing, except for the fact that President Trump engaged in no wrongdoing whatsoever."
None of the documents that were previously disclosed as part of civil legal actions or Ghislaine Maxwell's trial, an associate of Epstein, include allegations of misconduct by Trump.
Trump referred to the release of the emails as a Democratic "sham" and further stated that "certain idiotic" and "silly" Republicans had succumbed to it.
Even if the measure is approved by the House, it would encounter a second obstacle in the Senate — and, ultimately, a possible veto from Trump, unless lawmakers can obtain the two-thirds majority necessary to override it.
The public fallout between Trump and Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene this weekend highlights more profound divisions within the president's MAGA base and provides a glimpse into what a post-Trump version of that movement may resemble.
Greene has increasingly presented herself as a more reliable guardian of the "America First" ideology, asserting that the president has become unfocused.
Their strained relations have been brewing for months, as Greene has disagreed with Trump on a wide spectrum of issues. She has openly criticized him regarding:
- His prioritization of international affairs over domestic concerns;
- The administration's financial assistance to Argentina's economy;
- His position on H-1B visas;
- The Republican leadership's strategy regarding the government shutdown and the absence of a health care plan.
When questioned by CNN on Sunday about whether Trump still embodies the MAGA movement as he once did, Greene implied that he may no longer entirely align with the priorities that initially energized the base.
"What the American populace endorsed with MAGA was prioritizing the American people and ceasing the practice of sending foreign aid and involvement in foreign conflicts," Greene stated, highlighting the elevated cost of living and rapidly escalating health insurance premiums.
"Those are a pair of issues that I've been very outspoken on for months and months now, extending back far before Republicans were stunned when those significant losses materialized during this past Tuesday's election," Greene commented.
However, Greene articulated one point definitively: the catalyst for the president's vehement rupture with her was her advocacy for the release of the Epstein files.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com
